Quartz crystal holder



Oct. 8, 1946. J. E. FOX ETAL 2,408,763

QUARTZ. CRYSTAL HOLDER Filed June 5, 1944 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR. M0551 6'. r'OX Mill 6. MIL 50M BY 1/4 5 QU/A/O', /2

Oct. 1946- J. E. FOX ET AL QUARTZ CRYSTAL HOLDER Filed June 5, 1944 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 03( 50M r we.

Oct. 8, 1946. 5, X ETAL 2,408,768

QUARTZ CRYSTAL HOLDER Filed June 5, 1944 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 J J E 5 'F/GT 6 INVENTOR. P J05Pfl fax A/Z/L a Malia/V BY M a u/A/CK JE.

Patented Oct. 8, 1946 QUARTZ CRYSTAL HOLDER;

Joseph E. Fox, Neil A. Nelson, and .William S. Quincy, Jr., Dayton, Ohio" Application June 5-, 19%,Serial'N0. 538,798

4 Claims. (01. 171-327) (Granted under the act of March 3,1883; as amendedApril 30, 1928; 370 0; G. 757) The invention described herein may he manufactured. and used by or for theGovcrnment for governmental purposes, without the paymentto.

us of any royalty thereon.

The invention to be hereinafter described relates to crystal holders of the plug-in type for radio operation.

In use in radio operation frequent changes of.

crystals are essential, as when the frequency of a transmitter is shifted, for instance. Repair, renewal and many other causes make ready change an important consideration. To meet such requirements, crystal holders in plug-in form have been developed, facilitating such:raD' id substitution.

The rapidly spreadinguseof radio equipment to-many fieldsincludes practically all forms of transportation many of which involve high and frequent vibration and. frequent or even constant exposure to dirt; dust, moisture and otherJdamaging elements or conditions seriously affecting.

the operation. Penetration of moisture, for instance, may readily becorne'fatal to the operation. Due to the wide-spread'use of such holders it is important to havethem 1 of standardized;

production.

The present invention has been developed to meet the above and other requirements while at the same time eliminating the objections mentioned and producing a simple, practicable, durable and low-cost holder of the typ stated.

In order to more clearly disclose the construction, operation and use of the invention reference should be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of the present application.

Throughout the several figures of the drawings, like reference characters designate the same parts in the different views.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross section on line 22 of Fig. 1, showing the spring in elevation;

Fig. 3 is a cross section on line 33 of Fig.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the spring contacts and their mounting;

Fig. 5 is a top plan View of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is an edge view of an electrode plate, the height of the raised portions being greatly exaggerated for clearness.

Referring to the drawings in detail, I indicates a base of any suitable material such as plastic, in which are mounted in well known manner, the usual plug-in terminals. This base may be secured to a box-like housing 2 of sim- 25 economical construction capable of low-cost mass ilar material. by any suitable attachingmeans such as screws 3. Preferably, internally threaded.v

sleeves'd embeddedin 2, receive screws 3 toprovide a more positive and'secure connection;

Base l carries spaced substantially parallel,

upwardly extending spring-plate or, spring-leaf contact 5, each having an upper inwardly in.-'

clined or directed flange. B- and a lower inwardly directed approximately perpendicular flange 1. Between these contacts 5, as willibe well understood, is disposed the quartz; crystal assembly comprising the thin plate 8 of quartz: crystal mounted between steel plate electrodesll; As will be noted on careful examination of Fig-s2; 3 and 6, the crystalis spaced from the electrodes ll'throughout most of :its surface- The electrodes and crystals are of approximately the same area and the same dimensions except as to thickness. The corners It] of the. electrodes are slightly above the general surface. This raised portion is shown greatly magnified 'or exaggerated, in edge view, in Fig- 6. ln asseme bling, the two electrode plates are disposed with their raised corners It facing each other. and the quartz crystal betweenthem, resting on raised portionsl0 and spaced from electrodes 9 providing the necessary freedom for vibration. This sandwich assembly is placedin a plastic frame or chase= l l in the form of a hollow square or rectangle: and that, in turn isplacedbetween'the contact plates 5 and betweentheoflanges v6. and.

1 thereof. In order to definitely maintain close operative assembled relations of the electrodes and crystal and definite continuous electrical contact and, at the same time, maintain the desired pressure on the quartz crystal, a coil spring 12 is interposed between one electrode 9 and the adjacent spring plate contact 5.

On reference to Fig. 3 it will be noted that the chase interior dimensions are slightly greater than the corresponding dimensions of the electrodes 9 received therein. In the four corners of the frame are formed shoulders II which seat the corresponding electrode plate corners. This mounting gives adequate spacing between the edges of the assembled electrodes and quartz crystal and adjacent sides of frame or chase H, thereby providing greater freedom of vibration and correspondingly increased eiliciency. With such an arrangement, the crystal is suspended between the two electrodes by its four corners only and the entire assembled sandwich is free from contact with the enclosing chase or frame H except at the spacing shoulders II at the frame corners.

Assume that the crystal and electrodes have been assembled in chase ll, chase II placed between spring contacts and between flanges 6 and 1 thereof, and that coil spring [2 has been seated in place between 5 and 9. Next, housing 2 will be slipped down over that assembly, as an envelope. The inward taper of the upper flanges 6 assists in guiding the housing 2 to flnal position, coil spring l2, being appreciably compressed as the housing is forced home. Immediately prior to putting housing 2 in place, a suitable gasket I3 is slipped over the contact plates and onto base I in position to be clamped between base I and housing 2. Now, when the housing 2 is forced home, it clamps the gasket l3 against base I. Then screws 3 are turned in and the parts drawn tightly together, gasket l3 making a moisturetight and dustproof seal between the parts.

A crystal holder constructed and assembled in accordance with this invention completely oncloses all fragile parts in a container thoroughly sealed against moisture, dust and all other injurious media. The same construction and assembly provides a flrm anti-vibration and joltor shockproof holder, proof against damage by continued severe vibration and shock when used on various types of military vehicles under the roughest and most destructive conditions.

It is believed that the construction, operation and use of the invention will be Clear from the preceding description.

Many changes may be made in the construction, arrangement and disposition of various parts of the invention and in the materials used, within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the field of the invention and it is meant to include all such within this application, wherein only one preferred construction and arrangement has been disclosed by Way of illustration and with no thought or intention of limiting the application thereby, and it is intended to include all such within this application.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

'1. A crystal holder comprising a base provided with plug-in terminals, contact plates carried by said base and connected with said terminals, said plates having inwardly and upwardly inclined flanges and lower inwardly and perpendicularly directed flanges, a chase adapted to be mounted between said contact plates and between the flanges thereof, a spring adapted to be compressed between one of said contact plates and the adjacent electrode plate, a moistureproof housing adapted to slip over and receive said contact plates and chase and to maintain compression of said spring, and means for securing said base and housing in moi'stureproof assembled relation.

2. A crystal holder comprising a base provided with terminal contacts, contact plates carried by said. base and connected with said terminal contaots, said plates being provided with supporting flanges, a chase disposed between said contact plates and mounted on saidsupporting flanges. metal electrode plates and a quartz crystal thei between mounted in said chase, a housing adapted to slip over and receive said contact plates and chase, mean carried by aforesaid contact plates engaging and guiding said housing to 012-. erative position and means for securing said base and housing in assembled relation.

3. A crystal holder comprising a base provided with terminal contacts, contact plates carried by said base and connected with said terminal contacts, said plates being provided with supporting flanges and housing guiding flanges, a chase disposed between said contact plates and between said supporting flanges and said guiding flanges thereof and mounted on said supporting flanges, metal electrode plates and a quartz crystal thcrebetween mounted in said chase, and a housing adapted to slip over and receive said contact plates and chase and means for securing said base and housing in assembled relation.

4. A crystal holder comprising a base provided with terminal contacts, contact plates carried by said base and connected with said terminal contacts, said plates being provided with supporting flanges and housing guiding a. chase disposed between said contact plates and between said supportingflanges and said guiding flanges thereof and mounted on said supporting flanges, a quartz crystal mounted said chase, a housing adapted to slip over and receive said contact plates and chase and means for curing said base and housing in assembled relation.

JOSEPH E. FOX. NEIL A. NELSON. WILLIAM S. QUINCY, J11. 

